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A movement towards simplicity has gripped the western world. The ideology of Minimalism was not always at the forefront of my mind for something to aspire to until I read the book – the Life-changing Magic of Tidying. Marie Kondo helps to find the balance between hoarding and minimalism by discarding any items in our lives that don’t spark joy. No joy, no keep.

The Japanese art of decluttering may start in the home but transcends through the mind through clarity, letting go of baggage or future anxieties. You learn to love what you keep and only collecting pieces you truly love. For many, the wardrobe is a place that sees the most drastic change. Getting dressed is no longer a chore, holes are easily identified within the wardrobe, treating your things with respect will make them look better and cleaning is so much easier!

Some take this concept to a next level by completing the ultimate minimalist fashion challenge: Project 333 – A concept that invites you to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months. Our studio superwoman/stylist Meredith has completed the challenge initially as a vehicle for sharing her viewpoint on style but it quickly evolved into what felt like a public social experiment. She realised good things take time and that rings true in every area of our life.

“Time is the luxury – everything is going too fast. To make something beautiful, you have to take the time with it.”

Meredith will share her experience and show viewers in a live styling session how you can “be more with less,” at The Thistle Inn, on the 11th March starting at 2pm. Tickets available from eventfinder.co.nz for $40 or $35 with a group if you purchase 5 or more.

When our long standing client and friend Dr Sam Hazledine from MedRecruit contacted us to help him change the face of the Medical profession we jumped at the chance, whilst our task was a simple job of presenting the signatures gathered in his petition, the outcome of this document was to be profound.

Dr Sam Hazledine was asked by the World Medical Association to speak at their annual General Assembly in Taiwan and present to them his research into Doctor well-being and why he felt the Declaration of Geneva needed to be updated.

Dr Hazledine’s research found that 87% of Doctors were stressed beyond levels that are productive, whilst another study in New Zealand showed that over 50% of doctors are experiencing symptoms of burnout and over half would not choose medicine as a career again. The Health profession is in crisis.

Through his research what he found was that those Doctors who were thriving had one area in common, they prioritised their well-being, not just their health. Rather than seeing it as putting themselves first, they see it as looking after themselves so that they can deliver the best standard of care to their patients.

Dr Hazledine has pushed to introduce a new paradigm, one that serves both patients and the profession, with the support of over 4,500 doctors, he proposed to introduce the following statement into the Declaration of Geneva:

“I WILL TAKE CARE of my health and well-being so I can provide care of the highest standard”

Its a simple but powerful shift that will enable Doctor’s provide the absolute best care consistently.

2016 has been a turbulent year for many around the globe. Political unrest in the United Kingdom and the most bizarre American Presidency Campaign the world has ever seen has captured our attention and placed fear and doubt for the future of these countries.

Even the Olympics which is usually a unifying event for the world; celebrating talent, hard work and peak performance in the sporting arena has had the spotlight lifted from the podium. Instead our attention has been diverted to the Zika virus outbreak, a disgraced Russian team, villages poorly prepared for the scale of such an event and a police department under extreme pressure to keep a lid on crime.

With the departure of David Bowie, Prince and Mohammed Ali, some believe that the end of the world is nigh and all individual brilliance is under threat. There has been a outcry to keep the remaining ‘greats’ safe from the destructive powers of 2016, calling to round up the likes of David Attenborough and keep them from harms way.

Scratch Design have been fortunate to have avoided the 2016 curse thus far (touch wood). In fact, we have thrived. We’ve grown our client base, added two exceptionally talented people to our team and proudly built upon our project portfolio. That’s the great thing about momentum as it takes more than a few bumps in the road to stop progress.

The celebration of self-expression and creative freedom are still very much alive at the Scratching Post. 2016 is not a year of mourning for us but rather a time to celebrate the unique, the resilient, the cheeky, the groundbreaking and the brave.